1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fishing reels and, more particularly, fly fishing reels which include means for providing an adjustable drag.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Fly fishing is usually accomplished by casting fishing line which has been previously extracted from the fly fishing reel and allowed to accumulate at the feet of the fisherman in a boat or on shore. The fishing reel is thus, in this type of fishing, only a reservoir on which can be wound a quantity of fishing line and backing.
A fly fishing reel, however, does play an important part in fly fishing after the cast has been made. Such reels are usually provided with an adjustable drag mechanism which provides resistance to the unwinding of further line after the cast has been made and a fish hooked. This resistance tires the fish and eventually allows the fisherman to retrieve the line and thus land the fish.
The resistance to unwinding provided by the fishing reel must be adjustable to cope with the power of the particular fish hooked, and the resistance provided by the drag mechanism must be as constant and as consistent as possible so that the fishing line or its leader is not jerked and broken.
Drag mechanisms shown in the prior art, and in particular U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,989,204 and 4,352,474, usually include planar friction plates which are forced into frictional engagement by compression of a spring bearing upon one of the plates. Drag mechanisms of this type have been effective in producing a resistance to unwinding of the reel but have not achieved a desirable constancy in the resistance produced.